More manufacturing jobs are coming soon to America, courtesy of China.
In October, Chinese garment manufacturer Tianyuan Garments Co. sealed a deal to acquire a defunct 100,000-square foot metal fabrications plant in Little Rock, Arkansas.
The $20 million investment would make Tianyuan -- which produces clothes for brands like Adidas, Reebok and Armani -- the first Chinese manufacturer to make clothing in the U.S.
The Chinese firm expects to hire 400 American workers to run the refurbished factory, slated to open in late 2017.
Tianyuan Garment is the second Chinese company in a span of six months to announce it was expanding production to the U.S.
Related: America's abandoned factories in hot demand
In April, Chinese paper products maker Sun Paper Industry said it was opening its first North America factory in South Arkansas, investing more than $1 billion to construct a new bio-products mill that would create 250 local jobs.
Tianyuan Garment will convert this dead plant in Little Rock, Arkansas into a garment factory with plans to hire 400 workers.
While the offshoring of American manufacturing to Asia was once popular, now an inverse trend seems to be gaining traction, as foreign producers become eager to break ground in the U.S.
Some of the same factors that pushed American firms overseas decades ago is driving the new movement, thanks to high costs of labor, resources, energy and transportation in China.
"Foreign companies are eager to cut their costs by being closer to their customers," said Mike Preston, executive director with the Arkansas Economic Development Commission. "It's why they're coming to America."
Chinese manufacturers are setting up shop in the U.S..
